Yggdrasil's Nexus - Prologue
by TheGreatPikminZX789
Summary: Korey wishes upon a single star in the night, wishing to be reunited with his loved one. His previous searches yielded no results, so he hopes that all the friends he made along the way may have had some clue to where she might have been in the time Korey was gone. But perhaps hope lies within the Maginia, and its promise of a new journey.
1. Chapter 1 - A Highlander's Wish

_The night sky was always a pleasant sight to behold. Shirota and Shira definitely had some fun watching the night sky before the Dancer let out a yawn. A side effect that mostly came from her efforts of using her dance skills to assist with the exploration of the Sacred Mountain's labyrinths earlier today for a quest._

"I'm glad I'm able to spend some more time with you, mom. I wanted to make it up to you, so I hoped this was a start..." _Shirota began, smiling as she placed her head on her mother's shoulder._

"Me too, my sweet sunshine," _Shira replied, in a soothing tone, looking at her daughter's eyes, and smiled back at her._ "I hope we can do more of this, soon..." _She continued, hoping to spend more time with her daughter and catch up with what she's been up to the past few months._

"We will, don't you worry." _Shirota hummed, starting to make her way over to the bed with her warm pair of clothes on her. She wasn't willing to get the cold over being through cold temperatures, so some warm clothes really helped her thrive in the cold region of the Sacred Mountains, and the often cold winds that arrived during her time in Tharsis._

"For now though, I'm gonna get some shut eye." _Shirota sighed, falling onto the bed and placing the sheets over herself. The silver-clad Imperial knelt beside her bed._

"Very well. Good night, Shirota. I love you." _Shira cooed, getting a little chuckle out of Shirota._

"I love you too, mom." _Shirota responded, feeling her mother place a kiss on her cheek before getting up and make her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. It certainly felt like years since she spent time growing up alongside her daughter._

_Whenever Imperial duties weren't weighing on her shoulders, she would teach her daughter the ways of dancing. It was always something to help pass the time, and to get close to each other as mother and daughter. Ever since her disappearance though, she was worried her lessons would be for naught._

_A faint recalling of her memory reminded her that she talked to his husband about the possibility of her being unable to return. There was a village of dancers not far from the presumed location of civilization beyond the Cloudy Stronghold, and she had suggested that they live there should anything happen to her. She might not be aware of how happy her husband is, but the letter she received back from him a few days ago was reassuring , and that he was soon coming to Tharsis._

_Needless to say, Shira and Shirota couldn't be anymore happier. Soon, they were going to be reunited as a family... Kurita and her sisters were still looking for their father, but the guild searched everywhere in search for him, and so far, turned up nothing._

_Glaring up from the ground, she noticed that someone was on the balcony. A man with long brown hair and wore clothes from the Highlander tribe, staring at the night sky... Shira placed a hand on her hips, unable to help ponder to herself why he would be out at a time like this. She was usually strict about being able to sleep on time, so seeing their guild leader not get any sleep is a bit worrying, both as a friend, and as a mother._

_Without regard to her movement, Shira walks up to him, hoping to question the man who refuses to sleep. _"You know you should be asleep by this time. So why are you still up?"

_Startled, Korey turns to see Shira approaching him, with a rather stern look on her face. It's only been a few weeks since Shira joined his guild, but her stern look reminded him of his mother whenever she was crossed... He took a few seconds to recompose himself._

"I just... couldn't sleep, Shira." _Korey replied, taking a deep breath as he looks back at the sky._ "I thought looking at the night sky would help tire me out, but every time I look at them, it reminds me of my time back home..."

_The brown skinned woman soon relieved herself of the stern expression upon hearing his reason. The night sky was always such a wonderful thing to look at, no matter where they are in the world._ "I remember watching the night sky as I slept in, waiting til the day I get to see my daughter again..." _She commented, placing her hands on the railing as she stared at the millions of stars in the sky._

"And that you did. I just hope that would soon happen with me." _Korey's repeated sigh soon turned Shira's attention from the sky to the person beside her._

"I've been praying ever since I started my journey that one day, I will reach her. And ever since I gained my sudden amnesia, I've been lost, with this ring as my only guide... I feel like I'm never going to find her, no matter what I do."

_Shira places her hand on the Highlander's shoulder, his gaze turning to a concerned mother that Shira's aura resonated._ "I'm sure you will, Korey. Perhaps there might have been a reason she could not have found you sooner, or even the other way around." _She began._

"I know how much it feels to worry about loved ones, but you just need to trust your heart to not worry. That's how I managed to get through." _Shira continued, hearing_ _Korey scoff at himself. _"If only I can keep that advise to heart."

_He heard giggling from Shira._ "Maybe you should get it memorized." _She suggested, unable to hold back a few more giggles she tried to withstand. _

_Korey's eyes soon gazed at something else that caught his attention. Something gleamed off of the silver armor, turning his head back to see..._ "Ah, a shooting star! Gotta make a wish!"

_Korey clasps his hands together and closed his eyes. Before Shira questions what he's doing, she too spots the shooting star, and proceeds to mimic the pose Korey is in. Silence filled the air for a while, before the two of them opened their eyes to see that the shooting star is gone._

"Shooting stars are always the prettiest things the sky has given us." _Shira commented, smiling almost as if she didn't have a care in the world. She gazed at Korey as she places her hands back on the railing. _"So, what'd you wish for?"

_What he wished for... It felt obvious to the Highlander, but Shira won't know unless he spoke it to her._ "I wished to be back with my beloved Hilda, no matter how long it takes."

_Shira could only chuckle in response._ "Heh, maybe I shouldn't have asked..." _She muttered to herself, hardly surprised by the wish she heard from Korey._

"Well, it's only fair to ask what you wished for after I told you mine. So tell me already." _Korey urged, like a little child asking their parent to read them a story._

_Shira couldn't help but giggle at his need to know her wish. _"Alright, fine." _She sighed, giving into the plea._ "I wished for you to live the happiest life you can, as you make others happy."

_She spots a smirk come onto Korey's face, chuckling a little bit as he scratched the back of his head._ "That wish of yours feels like I might have spoken some words similar to what you said to a guild I was in back in High Lagaard. God, it felt like it was just yesterday..."

"How so?" _The silver-clad Imperial inquired, personally intrigued. _"We were facing a dangerous creature on a floor hardly anyone else knew about." _The Highlander began, placing a finger on his chin as he began to recall the exact moment in time._

"In the spur of the moment, my mind thought back to a similar event where things were as desperate as it can be, but managed to make it through in the end. I ended up speaking about wanting to make people smile, and to live their lives like one happy family. And the rest was just a blur as we, alongside a certain guild I met in Lagaard, took down the destructive creature."

"I see..." _Shira hummed to herself, more than satisfied with the answer she hear from Korey. Her eyes gaze at him again, seeing his eyes closed from the corner of her vision. Was he thinking about something? _"Something wrong?"

_Korey opened his eyes when he heard the question._ "O-Oh, nothing. Just pondering to myself, is all." _He assured, turning around and grabbing his bag, placing it on his shoulder, before turning to the silver Imperial._

"I'm gonna go get some shut eye. I'll see you in the morning, Shira." _Shira nodded, silently motioning him to get going. She didn't need to reassure him any further regarding his sleep schedule._

_Once he was out of sight, Shira turned to look at the stars above her. She couldn't help but ponder on his wish, despite showing little interest earlier._ "Perhaps he might get his wish granted faster than we'd expect. Fate does work in mysterious ways, after all..."

...

_The morning came and went, as the Refulgent Guild was taking the day off from exploring to do whatever they wanted until something was discussed. Soon enough, the afternoon started to arrive without much of a care. Though Korey didn't mind. After all, talking with Baldur, Logre, and Shirota was going rather smoothly._

_They had visited some shops earlier, likely to stock up for medicine and whatnot, and nesting on the porch of their guild house was a way to relax after a typical shopping spree. They were just talking about whatever came to their mind, whether it was in the past or plans for the upcoming future. It was right around then that the noise of shifting armor caught Shirota's attention, gazing upon tons of Tharsis' soldiers._

"Is it just me, or is there a lot of guards today making their way to the Count's place?" _She couldn't help but question, as the others turned to see what she was talking about. They also spotted some soldiers that weren't of Tharsis origin._

"That certainly is quite the number. I wonder why the need for that many guards..." _Baldur pondered, as Logre's eyes soon spotted some figures of extreme importance._

"Perhaps those two likely explain the protecting formation the soldiers are in." _He explained, pointing to a woman with orange hair, and rather unique golden armor, walking beside a man with black armor and white hair. They were walking alongside the soldiers to the Outland Count's place, likely to discuss something with the Count in particular._

"You certainly don't see people like them everyday." _Shirota commented, rather amazed at the armor the woman wore. _"Not really, though I wonder why they're here. They don't seem like bad people..."

_As they see the two regal looking figures walk off in the distance, Shirota spots Anai from the corner of her eye, seeing the Medic approach them as the young girl smacks her hands on the table, startling the boys and turned their attention to her._

"Guys, you'll never believe what I just saw! It was... oh my god, it was huuuuuge!" _Anai blurted, almost about to go on a never ending talk about whatever she witnessed._

_Shirota quickly urged the young Medic to calm down._ "What is it that you saw?" _Baldur questioned, which only made Anai squee with excitement._

"I-It's just better to show you guys! Come to the entrance!" _Anai urged, rushing ahead of them._

_Well, who were they to question Anai's sudden thrill of excitement? The group of four got up from their chairs, making their way to the entrance of Tharsis, spotting Anai wave her hand at them, meeting up with the Medic at the spot she stood._

"What might be so important to get our attention over?" _The prince inquired, seeing the Medic swiftly turn and point at something. _"Take a look at that!"

_Everyone's gaze turns to where the purple haired girl was pointing, getting a few surprised gasps and looks from the group. There appeared to be a huge ship docked next to the city's entrance, putting the airships that Korey and the Empire's had to mere shocking levels of mediocrity. Baldur noticed that there were buildings on the ship, hardly able to witness a few figures over in the distance walking around as if they live on it._

"A floating city?" _Baldur was only able to speak after having confirmed his thoughts on the matter. Logre smirked, rather impressed about the huge ship._

"Heh, rather impressive someone managed to make a combination of a flying ship and a city to live on for the people on it. That's an impressive feat that nobody's ever managed to accomplish." _He commented, feeling like he could take up his regarded Whirlwind name and start a new life there..._

"Ugh, silly me. I almost forgot something..." _Anai groaned, reaching into her bag and grabs a letter, handing it to Korey as he reads over the letter's details._

"Somebody sent you a letter, Korey. From what I can tell, it's very important." _Korey gazed at Anai, unable to help but wonder something._

"You didn't take a peek at it, did you?" _He questioned, the young Medic quickly shaking her head to prove her innocence._ "Just from the royal seal that I saw on the letter was what gave me the hint that it was important." _She explained._

_Baldur placed a finger on his chin once he heard word of a royal seal._ "Did you catch a name of sorts?" _The prince asked._

"No, just the symbol was all I saw, Baldur." _The girl replied, leaving Korey to stare at the letter for a while. _"So, guild leader, what's our next move?" _Logre queried, wondering when Korey was gonna speak up or simply stare at the letter for a while._

_Korey blinked for a few seconds, looking at the Imperial that had asked him a question._ "Logre, Baldur, Anai, gather everyone in the guild. I suppose this letter is considered an important thing everyone should know." _Korey issued without further delay._

"Why not just have me get everyone? I always seem to enjoy the easier tasks you give me." _Logre jested, smirking as he did so._

"Just get going, Logre!" _Korey urged, hearing him chuckle as he motions for Baldur and Anai to follow him. Shirota soon starts following them, before turning to the Highlander._

"I'll see if I can help in getting everyone. See you later!" _Shirota chirped, turning to follow the trio she was following, not wanting to lose sight of them._

_Korey looks at the letter once again, seeing a rather interesting topic that peaked his interest. _"...Guess I made the right call to have a meeting with my guild." _He uttered to himself, as he began to head back to the guild house._

...

_After nearly an hour of waiting for everyone in his guild to come, every member of the Refulgent Guild was here at last, gathered in the lobby. Everybody was talking among themselves, waiting for Korey to come down and issue the meeting. A white haired Vessel huffed, not liking the crowded situation he found himself to be in._

"I don't see the point in us being here. Weren't we just fine doing our own thing until something was planned?" _Silvius argued, staring rather coldly at everyone, despite his calm demeanor he typically has with them._

"This is the part where something just came to our guild leader's attention, Silvius." _Wufan began, sighing upon hearing Silvius complain._ "Despite being the White Vessel, you should know that if something is important, you hear it out."

"That's true," _Kibagami chimed in._ "I'm sure Korey has a great reason for calling us all here."

_The blonde haired Medic with black clothes soon spotted Korey coming down the stairs._ "Ah, here comes Korey." _She exclaimed, getting everyone's attention as the Highlander made his way to the center of the room._

"Terribly sorry I'm late, I had to make sure I read the contents the letter contained." _Korey apologized, immediately getting some of his guild members telling him that they understand the wait._

"No need to worry yourself about it, Korey." _The white haired Nightseeker woman known as Elma spoke up, adjusting the red garb around her as she sat up. _"Please, do speak about what this letter delightfully entails." _The black haired Imperial known as Akhos urged, adjusting his glasses as he spoke._

_Korey took a few seconds to clear his throat before beginning._ "The letter seems to have been written by somebody from the flying ship me, Logre, Baldur, Anai, and Shirota witnessed earlier this afternoon, as it was hand delivered from Anai to me. It says that the leaders of the airship are talking with the Outland Count to speak about getting explorers to join them on the Maginia for a new journey."

_Kurita's older sister and landsknecht, Jayla, tilted her head, a bit puzzled._ "Maginia? Is that the name of that ship thing?" "I would assume so, Jayla." _The purple haired landsknecht sitting right beside Jayla, named Eliza, guessed her answer on the subject._

"A new journey sounds rather exciting. But why the discussion with the Count?" _Sakuma wondered, before the sound of an open door can interrupt anyone who was going to express their opinion._

"I believe I can answer that myself, lass." _A familiar voice chimed in, as the Count allowed himself into the guild house. _"Hello, Mr. Count!" _Kurita greeted, waving a hand in his general direction._

"Hello to you too, Kurita." _He greeted back._ "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

_Korey shook his head._ "No, you weren't. I'm honestly at a loss as to what the letter I got earlier could mean." _Korey stated, explaining the situation he and his guildmates have found themselves in._

"Oh don't trouble yourself with the details. I'll explain everything I know." _The Count hummed, closing the door behind him so no one else could interrupt him._

"You see, I've had a meeting with the founders of the floating city, the Maginia. They spoke with me about having explorers from all of Tharsis to come and assist them search for some treasure in a far off island." _He explained._

"Island? Like, lonely continent, island?" _The red haired Sentinel named Hiraku inquired, getting a sigh from the brown skinned Vessel next to him._

"I'm sure that's what he means..." _Seti argued, feeling a small bit of movement from the blue-haired female Runemaster next to him as she peeked her head to see the Count. _"It's still strange as it is, considering that's exactly what the letter entailed as well- minus the treasure part..." _Haruka exclaimed, causing the Count to pace back and forth for a few seconds._

"If I had to conjure a guess, I surmise that the most likely possibility is that the Refulgent Guild has been selected to board the Maginia to travel to this new place." _The Count concluded, getting several gasps from the people in the room._ "Isn't the thought of searching through a new land exciting? It's just like how you explored new lands with your airship when you finished your first labyrinth..." _He reminisced, feeling like it was only yesterday when he had met the Highlander and his guild._

_While some liked the idea of traveling to a new land... Some, like Kurita, had some thoughts of her own._ "I've grown to like Tharsis, though... It would feel weird to leave it and potentially leave it in danger." _The blonde Runemaster spoke up._

"That certainly is a lot of pressure, especially for me..." _Lysandra groaned, still unsure about her decision. It was a fifty-fifty situation, and it was hard to know whether they would want to go or not._

"How long would the Maginia stay here, if I may ask?"_ Korey inquired, wanting to know at least that before making a formal decision. _"For a few days, from what the orange haired woman told me. She wanted to be sure that she wanted to give explorers a fair chance to make up their minds, and not pressure anyone."

_A few days... That was more than enough time. At least for Korey. The others will likely have their answers sooner than his._

"Then what of the guild house? Will it remain intact for us, or not?" _Logre inquired, wondering about the possibility of them all saying yes to going on the Maginia._

"That's something I would like to discuss when you are ready to travel on the Maginia. Please take your time, and come visit me if you all have decided." _The Count gave a reassuring smile, before bidding them a good day, leaving the building to head back to his place._

_Silence filled the room again. Everybody exchanged looks at each other, almost worried to express their thoughts on the subject they were left with. Even Frederica Irving and Yukina were rather silent about the whole ordeal._

_Before long, Shira got up from her seat and cleared her throat._ "I must admit, although the Empire has been me and Shirota's home for some time, I feel like we should take the time to see if we're truly ready to move on from Tharsis, judging from everyone's reaction. Sounds good to everyone?"

_Her objective for everyone was rather clear, yet it felt like a mission discussion towards everyone in the room. But if they had to be honest, the pressure was sort of huge. They needed some time to at least come to terms with what they plan to do. Everyone ends up nodding, as some of them mutter a positive reaction to having to spend some time to think about this situation._

_Soon, the room was suddenly filled with discussion, as if the embargo had just been lifted. Although it was a little complex to have Korey gather his thoughts alone in peace, turning around and making his way back upstairs._

_The prince couldn't help but follow the Highlander. Despite the rather tough crowd of people in the lobby, it wasn't hard to get to his destination without further issue. He climbed the stairs, feeling others follow behind him, likely wanting to converse in their rooms._

_Reaching the balcony, Baldur spots the brown haired Highlander looking through the busy streets of Tharsis._ "Mind if I join you up here?" _Baldur inquired, getting a short gaze from Korey as he approaches him._

"I just need some time to myself..." _He groaned, looking away from the prince, almost acting like the first time he had met the Prince. Baldur wasn't going to take it at face value this time around. _"Can't I be concerned for someone who is going to be my future guild leader?"

_Huh? Future guild leader? The Highlander turned to face the prince, seeing his eyes rather determined, much like the time they were trying to give chase to him in the Cloudy Stronghold._

"I've debated on it for a while, ever since the Yggdrasil Curse had been removed from me," _Baldur continued._ "I saw how hard and dedicated one must be to exploring. After much discussion with everyone else for the past few days, I decided I want to become an explorer, starting with wherever this Maginia will take us too."

_This... Was this even a dream? Cause it freaking felt like one to Korey, alright! The fact that Baldur is going to be giving exploring a chance, is honestly rather surprising._

"That's what I've decided, Korey. I'm sure Logre would agree with me one-hundred percent on this." _He concluded, starting to feel the wind blow through his hair._

_Well, who was a leader if he wasn't willing to give someone a chance?_

"I can tell that it'll be a good start for you, Baldur. I'm all in on letting you explore with us." _Korey grinned, seeing the prince smile for the first time in his life._

"Thanks for understanding, Korey." _Baldur thanked, letting the wind be their source of sound, along with the people down below them. Time flew by for a bit, before he heard Korey sigh, getting up from the position he was standing in._

"I might be taking a little longer to debate on my current position. Cause every place I've been to feels like home." _Korey recalled the open thrill of Etria, the great comfort in High Lagaard, the amazing view of the ocean in Armoroad, and the land of Tharsis was quite beautiful. Each place truly felt more unique than the last._

"But I know my hometown is out there somewhere, and with the thought that I might one day return and leave everyone I know behind to return home is just... worrying." _The Highlander groaned, looking down at his ring that he still wore throughout every travel and journey he had this far._

_Baldur couldn't help but feel like he had a point. When he was recovering with the Refulgent Guild, it felt rather worrying that it felt like he was leaving the people of his empire to suffer. But with each Imperial visiting Tharsis, things felt more better, despite the curse that was placed on him in the aftermath of summoning the titan._

"To straight up leave and search for my old guild, and my wife... It's a painful thought that never left my head." _Korey's voice brought Baldur back to the conversation, placing his hand on the Highlander's shoulder._

"You have us to help you with that search, you know? Doing it alone won't get you anywhere, as far as I'm aware." _Baldur insisted, reminding Korey that he had another option the whole time._

"You're right, Baldur. I'm sorry, I just feel like I don't want anyone else to help in my search, due to how much trouble it will be." _The brown haired man apologized._ "I'll see if I can change my mind about that... is that alright?"

"Fine by me." _The prince chuckled, removing his hand from Korey's shoulder._ "I'm going to see if the others made up their minds yet. I'll see you later."

"See ya." _Korey replied, seeing the prince head down the stairs, waiting until he was out of sight to ponder something to himself. _"Would it really be worth leaving, knowing I may not find her there in our next destination?"

_After all, his previous searches held nothing. All the hints he may have had an inclination to, were wrong by a million miles more than the last. It felt like he was following a dead trail, hoping it still went onward._

_Finding his old guild felt like finding a group of friends lost in a huge public area... And that was the worst kind of situation he could ever find himself in. _"Perhaps a walk can ease my nerves. I can't think about getting on the Maginia without having some more time to myself." _He concluded, making his way downstairs._

_He heard the conversations had died down a little, likely guessing some of them made their decision on the matter. The lobby was also less cluttered with people walking about, making his path to the door a lot more simple. Before he could leave, he felt Shirota's eyes catch him as he touched the door handle._

"Where're you heading, Korey?" _Shirota queried, seeing Korey turn his head a little to face her. _"Just gonna go for a walk, Shirota. I shouldn't be long."

_Well, as long as he had something in mind, he was all set to go._ "Alright. Stay safe, Korey." _She hummed, seeing him leave the building before focusing her attention back to the conversation at hand._

...

_He found himself sitting down on a bench near the water fountain. Despite the roads being somewhat busy with adventurers, they were more focused on getting preparations, or just chatting about by their front doors, helping citizens one last time before they likely headed out to explore, or to go to the Maginia. While Korey didn't get a great glimpse of the Maginia in full, he had to trust the Count's word that it was a floating city. It was the only thing that can keep his mind on track with what he was currently thinking._

"This Maginia seems like a great place to live for the time we'll likely be spending our days in our next destination. But who knows if I'll ever see some friends from my hometown, or from Lagaard. I already miss seeing Lynus, and god knows how long it's been since I've seen Drayce..." _Korey pondered, soon clutching his head upon remembering Drayce._

_He was the guy who got him and his previous guild into treasure hunting. The guy who came down from a descendant of treasure hunters, and the first guild he ever met that was all filled with boys. His mind felt like it was starting to remember more and more, but even when it fit one piece of the puzzle, another piece just wasn't adding up._

"Ugh, this damn amnesia is driving me crazy!" _He growled to himself, rubbing his head in an attempt to calm himself of the headache he felt. Korey desperately wished there was a much more better solution to fixing amnesia instead of waiting it out, cause each second he wasted felt like it was just more trial and error for his mind to fix the puzzle._

_He was unsure how much time passed as he attempted to calm himself, while trying to speak out certain connections that his memories might eventually come back. _"Excuse me, sir..." _A voice called out to him, tugging on his pants alongside speaking out to him._

"Huh?" _Korey turned his head and sees a child who was about a few inches taller than Korey's legs in his current sitting position. He couldn't help recognize the white hair the child had, noticing his eyes are the same color as his own. And while he was unsure if the landsknecht armor was just for show or not, it seemed as if he was wearing the clothes Tharsis landsknecht males typically wore._

_The child tilted his head, trying to get a grasp on the details of Korey's face, eyes, and hair color. _"You look a bit like my father. You almost sound like him, too." _He commented, feeling like he's heard the voice somewhere before._

"Your father?" _Korey felt rather confused as to where this was going, but decided to ask anyways. _"Yeah, he's been missing for two years, and mommy really misses him."

_Two years? Had it really felt like it was two years? He felt like it was just countless days, but if what he said about his mommy missing him... Korey felt placed his hand on his chest, almost recalling the exact moment he felt the missing link when he once woke up to find himself in some unknown place._

_Hilda... He felt her miss him, almost as if their link was somehow re-established somehow. He wasn't sure how, but upon gazing at the kid before him, he feels like he's seen him somewhere before._

"You look familiar, but I can't seem to place a finger on your name... Mind telling me your name?" _Korey inquired, wanting to confirm something that was nagging on his mind._

"My name's Karim." _He introduced himself. Korey felt like his heart was pounding, yet he wasn't sure why. Was it because he was aware of the name and just hadn't remember, or..._

_His mind was telling him that he was close to the answer, but if he had to be sure of himself, there had to be something he can do to confirm his identity to Karim... He looked back at the white haired child, who quickly stares back at him, almost as if he was like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. _"Any chance you happen to know your father's name? And was he wearing anything that would be the key to finding him?"

_Two questions was all that it took for Karim to ponder to himself._ "Well, my daddy's named Korey... From what mom told me, he always wore a ring that had her name and dad's name on it, as it was the ring she bought for him."

_If Korey could express his shock right now, he would. He got off the bench and knelt down to Karim's height, removing the ring on his hand and held it up for the kid to see it clearly. _"Would this be the ring in question?" _He asked, as Karim squinted his eyes to try and read the font indented on the ring._

_The kid let out a gasp as soon as he saw his mother's name, alongside Korey's own name. He looked up at Korey, who quickly looks at him, before feeling the child wrap his arms around him._ "I finally found you, papa! I've missed you sooooo much!" _Karim beamed, rubbing his head against Korey's chest._

_He... found his son. Korey forgotten his son due to the amnesia... To think he was so focused on finding his wife, that he had forgotten the child that they were raising together. He felt nothing but a rush of happiness and sadness taking over him, soon wrapping his arms around Karim._

"My son... I thought I'd never see you again..." _Korey cried, feeling water come down his cheeks and into Karim's hair. _"I was afraid my efforts of trying to return to you and Hilda were for naught... But I'm glad they weren't!"

_Korey continued to bawl for a few minutes, feeling his son comfort him the best he can. He soon felt the tears slowly come to a halt, rubbing a finger against his eyes to remove anymore that dared to escape at the last second._

"Feeling better, daddy?" _Karim asked, separating from the hug he initiated._ "Yeah... I'm feeling better, my child."

_Korey grew a smile on his face, as he picks up Karim and sits on the bench, placing Karim on his leg. Whatever thoughts about the Maginia were tossed aside, as all Korey wanted was to reconnect with the son he had forgotten._

"Tell me, what have you, Hilda and the others been up to while I was away?" _He asked, his voice acting much more fatherly than it previously was seconds ago._

"Oh, you know, school and homework..." _Karim began, his voice filled with enthusiasm._ "Aunt Misaki has been helping me with some of the schoolwork as well." _He added._

_Korey let out a sigh of relief, glad to hear that his biological sister was still around._ "Glad to know sis is doing just fine. I'm sure she must've been worried about me, much like Hilda." _Korey pondered, considering not seeing her big brother was likely shocking for her._

"She certainly was, though only for a month." _Karim noted, causing Korey to blink in surprise. _"Only a month? Here I thought it would be more than that..." _The brown haired Highlander commented, amused by the answer his son gave him._

"Aunt Misaki's really grown up! She said she wanted to find you as much as all of us back in Iorys did!" _Karim explained, causing Korey to chuckle in amazement._

"I see. I might just have to speak with her myself when I see her again..." _He imagined she might have grown a few inches taller since they last saw each other, if two years of missing her birthday only now smacked him hard in the face._

"By the way," _Korey continued, looking over Karim's clothes._ "Where'd you get the small armor set for Tharsis' Landsknecht clothes?"

_Karim tilted his head for a moment, lost in a thought of his. _"Oh, mommy allowed me and Ms. Brown Haired Lady to go get me some clothes from here." _He responded, catching Korey off guard with the nickname he said out loud. _"You mean-"

"Karim, there you- agh?!" _A familiar voice called out, before somehow tripping and hitting the solid ground before them. Korey gasps, recognizing the girl before him. Her ears were rabbit-like, and her brown skin and brown hair easily could look like it would mix together any second. She also appeared to be wearing a necklace of sorts- and that necklace was familiar to him as well!_

_Korey places Karim down on the bench as he placed down his bag and sat Keiko up._ "K-Keiko! Are you okay?!" _He exclaimed, looking quickly over the injuries she had. Unlike the first time she ran into him, the ground definitely wasn't something to mess with in regards to getting hurt._

"I-I'm f-fine..." _Keiko groaned, before blinking several times after registering the voice in her head. She looked towards the man tending to her injuries... His hair color was familiar, his eye color was the same, even his voice was the darn same!_

"K-Korey?! Is that you?!" _Keiko yelped after speaking, feeling her arm sting a bit in pain. _"H-Hold still, Keiko, I can't tend to your wounds if you move around!" _Korey grunted, looking where the bits of her skin bled._

"Not moving." _Keiko silenced herself afterward, letting Korey do his thing. Seemed like she got a few abrasions on her skin. If the advise he learned from Lynus was correct, he needed to scrub and clean the wounds off before they get infected._

_Korey turned his head to turn to Karim._ "Hey, Karim, there's a bottle in my bag that contains purified water. Can you get it for me?" _Karim nodded, getting up from the bench and walked over to his bag, opening it and started searching through it._

"O-Oh, I see you found Karim, Korey..." _Keiko hummed, trying not to speak a lot due to her injuries._ "Moreso he found me. I'm so glad to see him again." _Korey chuckled in response, soon grabbing the bottle of water Karim found._

"Now, this may sting a bit, but I gotta apply water to the places that your skin scraped against. Just try and endure it, okay?" _Korey warned, seeing Keiko nod in response. He opened the water bottle, and dripped water on her arm, letting the water drip to the side where the wound was visible._

_Keiko winced in pain, but tries her best not to express her pain._ "Karim, there should be some gauze that I can use. Do you see it in my bag anywhere?"

_Karim looks further in the bag, seeing a box with a label written 'gauze' on it. _"I believe this is the one, papa." _He hands it over to Korey, as the Highlander places the water bottle beside him, and opens the box, grabbing one of the translucent fabrics and placed it over the wound, moving it over the surface of the skin to pick up some of the light debris that made it onto her skin._

_To be honest, Korey was glad he taken some interest in healing without having the direct skills of having a Medic nearby. Situations like this usually saved some rather regrettable injuries, like back in Armoroad, where Yukina taught him some of the ways to treat open wounds. Alongside the advise from Anai that he learned, he was making sure that he recalled the exact steps needed to heal the wounded areas._

_Time felt like an eternity, as he had to make sure to apply the right amount of pressure. He had Karim assist him with grabbing some items, as he did not want to keep his eyes off the injuries for more than a few split seconds. Certain spots took longer than most, but it was better to cover all open wounds and prevent them from getting worse._

_Part of Keiko's arms, hands and leg were wrapped in bandages, with some spots having some wet drips of purified water on it to help hasten the recovery time. He took his time with the few injuries on her face, wanting to make sure that the wounds were covered and well moist before moving on to the next._ "This should be the last one. Just wait a little longer, Keiko..." _Korey huffed, hearing Keiko gulp, still wincing from the last open wound on her body._

"Woooow, father's so good at healing Ms. Brown Haired Lady!" _Karim couldn't help but utter to himself in excitement. _"For the last time, Karim, her name is Keiko." _Korey overheard him, correcting him on the name of the Therian before him._

"H-Hey, I-I don't mind the name." _Keiko stuttered, wincing a bit more from the gauze that touched her cheek. _"But you and Demetria basically share the same skin, eye, and hair color, Keiko! That naming scheme Karim has is gonna be confusing to me as it is!" _The Highlander argued, before shutting himself up so he can focus on treating the last wound._

_After waiting for a few minutes, Korey dipped his finger in the water bottle, quickly touching where the bandage was located, hoping to keep it moist for a while. Korey took a huge breath in relief, thankful he didn't mess up anything. _"That ought to do it. Now, for the love of all that is the Heavenbringer, do not trip from this point on, Keiko!"

_The brown haired Therian tilted her head in confusion._ "What's the Heavenbringer?" _Korey brought his hand up to his face and shook his head in disappointment._

"Never mind, forget I said anything..." _He sighed, placing the lid on his bottle and placed everything that Karim had placed inside his bag. Korey help assisted Keiko stand up, as she took a couple of seconds to get her balance._

"Now, make sure that the covered wounds remain moist if they start to become dry, and make sure you get plenty of rest."_ Korey began, moving away from the Therian after she was able to stand on her own._ _Though Korey couldn't send her back without doing something to get Hilda or the other old members of his guild to come to him..._

"In fact, why don't you go head back to the Maginia, and get some guild members of mine to come visit me?" _Korey inquired, seeing Keiko nod in response to his request. _"S-Sure thing, Korey. Just gotta- ooooh, get back without causing more injury to myself." _Keiko yelped in pain a little bit, but stood her ground to still stand tall._

"Make sure you yell mommy I found daddy, Ms. Brown Haired Lady!" _Karim added, giving the Therian a rather cheery smile. Keiko couldn't help but smile back at Karim._

"Don't worry, Karim, I will." _Keiko giggled, before she begins to make her way back to Tharsis' entrance, at a reasonable walking speed. After seeing her off, Karim turned to face his father, who picked up the bag and placed it on his back._

"So papa, what have you been doing in the two years you were gone?" _He asked, seeing Korey look at him with a satisfied smile on his face._ "I hope you love loooong stories, son. Cause my tales of adventuring will likely last us all the way to our destination on the Maginia." _Korey responded, lowering his hand to Karim._

"In the meantime, why don't I give you a head start on meeting my current guild? I'm sure you'll love them." _Korey asked, feeling his sons hand grab his own hand._

"Sure! Let's go, go, gooo!" _Karim chirped, jumping up and down with excitement. Korey couldn't help but chuckle to himself._

"Alright, little one, patience... Let's just take the opportunity to walk together. After all, it has been years, hasn't it?"_ Korey hummed, seeing his son stop jumping the moment he heard patience come out of his father's mouth._

"Oookaaay..." _The white haired child sighed, feeling his arm move due to Korey trying to cheer him up a little._ "Come now, Karim- allow me to give you a tour of my recent adventuring guild in my resident guild house!" _Korey declared, hyping up his child to wonder what sort of people Korey has met with._

_Today was gonna be quite the busy afternoon, but it was gonna be worth the wish he hoped for the night before today._


	2. Chapter 2 - Reunion

_From the protection of the city of Maginia, the colors of the city of Tharsis' buildings are much lighter than they appeared to be through the white, transparent cover that hanged above them. But not that it mattered to Shreya, a young girl who was wearing some clothes a black-haired female Hero gave her as a welcoming gift to Maginia. Staring at the city of Tharsis was all that she had been doing recently, as she let a pair of hands brand her brown hair into twin pigtails._

_Her yellow eyes gazed to a gray haired Medic who was sitting right beside them, seeming to be reading a book of notes. All Shreya was wondering about was when her big brother was coming back. She wanted to look for him, but didn't want her hair to be messy in case they bump into her father in Tharsis._

"Mommy, when's Karim and Keiko coming back? They've been gone for nearly two hours..." _Shreya asked, fiddling with her fingers as she shifted back her focus to the city of Tharsis. _"I'm not sure." _A sweet and caring voice spoke behind her._

"Maybe it's taking them a while to find some new clothes for him. I'm not sure what kind of clothes they would have here..." _She continued, finishing up the second strand of her pigtail. The gray haired Medic glanced up from his book, turning to the two girls, seeing Shreya stand up and adjust her hat._

_The skin colors of Shreya and the woman she called mommy contrasted each other- Shreya having human skin color, while the white haired woman had blue skin. There's also the fact that Shreya's hair color reminded the Medic of the hair his guild leader that he met in Etria. He promised the two people in front of him that he would guide them to where Korey was, but he was unsure where he was, after he left Armoroad..._

"Perhaps that may be the case, but if they don't come back within the next day, they'll likely be left behind." _He groaned, unsure how long the Maginia will be staying here beside the city of Tharsis. Whatever the amount may be, depending on the amount of adventurers that come, there may be little time left..._

"Hey, Hilda, Simon... Sorry I'm late!" _A familiar voice called out to the group, as they turn to see Keiko approach them, wrapped a bit in bandages._

_Simon stood up in surprise, rushing over to the Therian. _"Keiko, what happened to you?! Did you get attacked by someone?!"_ He exclaimed, quickly inspecting the covered areas on her._

"No, it's nothing too serious, Mr. Simon. I merely tripped when I was searching for Karim." _Keiko reassured him, causing him to slow down, but maintain a worried expression on his face. __Hilda let out a sigh, shaking her head as she approaches her._ "Even when I told you not to trip, you still somehow do..."

_Simon looks over the bandages, surprised that they were wrapped very carefully, almost as if they've been applied recently._ "Who was it that healed you, exactly? These bandages seem to be wrapped with care..."

_Upon being asked, by the gray haired Medic, Keiko turned to face him with a smile on her face. _"You're not gonna believe it, but when I was looking for Karim, I found Korey within Tharsis!" _Hilda and Shreya let out a surprise gasp when they heard Korey's name._

"Papa healed you, Ms. Keiko?" _Shreya exclaimed, getting rather excited to hear that her father was nearby, and in the city that she had been staring at for a while._

"Yeah, he did. He must have learned a lot if he was able to do so." _Keiko nodded, seeing the small child jump in joy._

"After two years of searching, we're finally going to be reunited..." _Hilda sighed with relief, glad the many days of searching for her beloved would soon be over. _"Oh, and he also said that he wanted to see some of his old guild members." _The Therian added, having almost forgotten the very thing she was asked from him._

"Then I volunteer to go, seeing as I promised to help guide Hilda and Shreya to see him. If Karim is next to him, he should be easier to spot." _Simon declared, putting the book that was on the table inside his bag._

_Shreya turned to face her mom, who glanced at her in return. _"I'm so excited, mommy! We get to see papa again!" _The excitement in her daughter's voice made Hilda smile._

"Korey would be so happy to see us, my daughter. Come, let's prepare to head into Tharsis and make our way to him, rallying a few members who would want to see him." _Hilda hummed, motioning her daughter to follow behind her as they make their way inside the building._

"You guys go do that, I'm gonna- oooow, get some rest." _Keiko groaned in pain from trying to move._ "Perhaps for the better. No need to harm yourself any further." _Simon sighed, urging the Therian to get inside._

...

_Back at the guild house, Yukina, Shirota, Logre, and Frederica all look around outside, looking around for someone._ "He couldn't have gone that far..." _Shirota pondered, trying to see if she can see him through the crowd of explorers._

"I sure hope he'll be alright." _Frederica sighed, trying her best to look for Korey. Logre glanced at the blonde haired gunner, with his typical friendly smile._

"You put too much worry on yourself, Frederica. Just keep looking, he'll be fine." _He assured, hearing the millennium girl sigh before continuing her search._

_The red haired monk soon spots Korey approaching._ "Guys, I see him." _Yukina exclaimed, before spotting the smaller person walking alongside him._ "And it appears as if he's brought somebody with him."

_Shirota turned where Yukina was looking, spotting the small person as well._ "That person is rather small, though..." _The dancer points out. The Highlander approaches the four person group, seeing them glance at him, mixed with relief, but also worry._

"S-Sorry for taking so long guys, things happened..." _Korey chuckled, scratching the back of his head._ "Why the kid, though? Is he a new recruit or something?" _Logre inquired, causing Korey to glance at Karim for a second to understand the Imperial's question._

"Oh, he's not a new recruit. This is my son." _Korey revealed to the group._

"He's your son?!" _The four of them exclaimed, startled, yet surprised by the news he suddenly dropped on them._

_Korey nods, turning to his son and lets go of his hand._ "Why don't you introduce yourself, my boy?" _He queried, seeing Karim nod in response to his question, turning to face the group before him._

"My name's Karim! It's so nice to meet ya!" _The white haired child chirped._

"D'aaaaawww, he's so adorable~" _Shirota couldn't help but coo upon hearing the child's adorable voice, rubbing her hand through his white hair, earning a few giggles out of him as he enjoyed the session from her, removing her hand and smiled back at the beaming child._ "I'm Shirota, the Dancer of Korey's guild." _She introduced herself, standing up afterward._

_Yukina kneels down to face the child, smiling as she comes face to face with him._ "The name's Yukina. I'm a monk that traveled from High Lagaard." _Karim nods and turns to the next person who knelt to his height._

"I'm Logre. Though you're free to call me 'Whirlwind' if its too confusing." _Logre introduced himself, giving the child his friendly grin he normally greeted other explorers when he was called Whirlwind._

"And I'm Frederica Irving. Nice to meet you, Karim." _Frederica concluded the introductions, giving the small child a handshake as she spoke to him. Karim looked up at the Imperial._

"Mr. Logre, why do you wear such heavy armor?" _He asked, making Logre blink for a moment before he took a seat next to him and sat in it, motioning for the child to come to him._ "You see," _Logre began, picking up Karim and placed him on his lap._

"I came from a worn-down empire who attempted to use Tharsis' Yggdrasil tree to try and bring new life to the land. But thanks to Korey over here, he helped me and Baldur see the error of our ways, letting me assist him in the battle to defeat the Titan that emerged from the tree." _As Logre explained, Karim's eyes widened in surprise, before turning into a face of amusement._

"Woooooow, I wish I could've seen my daddy beat up that Titan!" _Karim chirped, wishing he was there to witness the battle Logre mentioned. _"Although it was a dangerous battle... With you there, it probably might have worried Korey if he never survived the battle." _Shirota argued, crossing her arms after giving the child's words some thought._

_Frederica nodded her head in agreement with the dancer._ "The Titan wasn't no pushover, and neither was that fail-safe measure that was left behind by the people who were in the Yggdrasil Project. Even with Wufan, Kibagami, and Logre beside us, it was still difficult to take down the Heavenbringer."

_Karim looked towards the blonde hair girl, doing his best not to fall off Logre's lap._ "I bet it was really cool, though! My father once told me he took down a dragon that mommy once encountered in our Yggdrasil tree." _He disclosed, as Korey felt everyone stare at him, probably wanting some validity from him._

"Yeah, that we did." _The Highlander sighed after taking a couple of seconds to debate to himself. _"But enough about that, why don't we head inside to see more of my guild members, Karim?" _He asked, wanting to move on from the topic at hand._

"But I wanna wait til mommy and my little sister come to see all your new guild members!" _Karim replied, raising a couple of eyebrows from everyone. Korey was quite confused when he mentioned a little sister._

_The sounds of rushing footsteps caught his attention, turning around to be introduced by someone hugging him out of the blue._

"W-Wha-?!" _Korey yelped, trying to maintain his balance as he looked at the person hugging him..._ "I've missed you soooo much, big brother! We've been looking for you for years!"

_There was no way... He really felt like he was dreaming. That was the voice of a sister he knew all too well, even looking at her similar hair color and heterochromia of her blue and green eyes._

"M-Misaki?!" _Korey finally spoke up, breaking free of the short trance of recognition. She looked up and grinned from ear to ear, hugging him more tightly a few seconds later._

"You honestly have no idea how much we've been waiting to see you!" _Another familiar voice called out to Korey, seeing Kyo walk up to him and the others. Her hair was a few inches longer, but other than that, she was completely the same person he was friends with back on Arcania._

"Kyo! You're here too?" _Korey gasped, trying to break free of Misaki's grasp. The Celestrian nodded to his question before turning to Misaki and motioned for her to stop hugging him, getting a sigh out of Misaki before separating herself from him._

_Karim got off of Logre's lap, running up to hug Misaki, who gladly returned with a hug of her own._ "I told you we'd find papa!" _Korey heard Karim converse with Misaki, who was also ecstatic._

"Just how many surprises are there, today?!" _Frederica exclaimed, honestly surprised at how these two people knew Korey. Granted, she likely should've seen this coming eventually, but with little information on his very first guild, it was surprising to see them for the first time._

"Papa!" _Korey quickly turned to see a young girl with a dark blue hat and dress, with a pink cape. Her yellow eyes, as well as seeing her brown hair was enough to cause another memory to snap back into Korey's head. He wasted no time in kneeling down and accepting the girl's hug._

"I missed you so much, papa!" _She beamed, feeling her father's arms wrap around her._ "Same here, Shreya... God, how did I manage to forget my own children this entire time?" _Korey pondered as he continued to hug Shreya for a bit, before separating himself from the hug and reveled in being around his children once more._

"I guess your memory might be coming back into place if this is all that it takes..." _Yukina commented, placing her finger on her chin as she tried to soak in all of the information that was happening before her and the others. As Misaki stood up, Karim looked to his left, gasping as if seeing someone familiar._

"Mommy!" _Karim called out to, wasting no time in rushing towards the person he called mother. Shreya turned around, letting out a short chuckle before breaking free of her father's hug and followed Karim. Korey stood up and brushed his pants before turning his attention to where the kids were going to, freezing right in his tracks as he spotted who they were running to._

_Logre and the others soon turned to face the approaching person, being dragged by the hands of the children._ "That's one interesting mother those kids have..." _He muttered to himself, trying to get a good grasp on what species the person in question is as he stood up from his chair._

_Her white hair, mixed in with some light blue spots on her hair was a soothing combination, with the exception of the red antenna's that sprouted from behind two protrusions of her hair. The clothes she wore were quite familiar to him, as they were the Harbinger clothes that most female Harbingers wore. The blue skin, while drastically contrasting the skin colors the children bore, along with the cyan eyes that he grew to love. She was finally able to break free of the children's grasp, as her velvet arms- adorned with some grey spikes, along with a strange gray and red symbol, brushed at her dress._

_Korey steeled himself and walked forward to the person he had waited so long to meet again... She approached him, as both of them stopped half way between, raising her hand and touched his cheek. He... placed his left hand on hers, a small smile forming on his face as he felt the familiar smoothness of her hand grazing against his._

"Hilda..." _Korey sighed, bringing his other arm around his beloved, bringing her closer to him. _"We're finally back together, Korey. I'm so glad to see you're okay." _Hilda smiled, staring at the Highlander's blue eyes._

_Korey tried to hold back the tears he was getting from hearing her voice again._ "I-I'm so," _He stuttered, wiping his tears away with his left hand._ "So glad to see you again, after the pain and suffering I've dealt with without you."

_Hilda gave him a few pats on the back, before giving him a quick kiss on the lips, causing his face to turn red in the blink of an eye._ "There's no need to worry anymore, dear. I'm just glad we never stopped looking for you..." _She sighed in relief, tracing her hands to hold his hands. _"Along with a few members of your old guilds."

"O-Old members?" _Korey questioned, before looking behind her as she walked to stand by his side. A girl with light green hair, red scarf and white clothes, ear covers with an interesting pattern, along with what appears to be wings sprouting from behind it, along with two diamond shaped trails below it._

_Next up was a white skinned Sovereign, though her familiar green and red tipped hair and forest-like clothing was all too familiar to him. Following behind them was a Celestrian with red and orange hair, a Pugilist with black and yellow hair, and the all-too-familiar gray-haired Medic from the Midgard Library, Simon Yorke. The two green haired girls made no effort to hide their excitement of seeing Korey again, evident by their combined hugs on the Highlander._

"Lola! Hibiki! You girls are here too?" _Korey chuckled, returning the hug for the two of them._

"Yep!" _Lola chirped, excitement filling her very voice._ "We've been waiting for mooooonths to see you again!"

_The Forest Princess nodded in agreement._ "We art pleased to see thee once again, Korey. And this time, with thy entire family." _Hibiki added, giving the Highlander one of her rarest smiles._

"Man, I wish you were with us to see how huge the family's gotten!" _The Pugilist hummed, quickly catching Korey's attention as he spots the Pugilist and male Celestrian approaching him. _"Ayako, Ion! It's nice to see you again!" _Korey grinned, giving both of them short hugs._

"Ion glad Korey is safe and alive. If Korey died, Ion would not know what to do..." _Ion's voice quavered a bit, almost as if he had been fearing the worst outcome._

"At least you found him in the best case scenario, Ion." _Korey could only grin upon recognizing the voice, quickly removing himself from the hug as he noticed Frederica approach a gray haired Medic._ "Simon!" _She chirped, easily getting a smile formed on Simon's face._

"It's been quite some time, hasn't it, Ricky?" _Simon chuckled, greeting his friend back in Etria and High Lagaard. Yukina looked around, almost dumbfounded at what had happened._

"I am so lost on what's happening." _Yukina sighed, admitting her confusion at long last._ "This is amazing, but at the same time, I feel as if we're left in the dark as to who everyone else is." _Shirota added, sharing her expression of confusion._

_As Korey turned around, he noticed Logre looking at him, almost as if he's urging him to explain something._ "O-Oh, yeah, I guess introductions are in order." _Korey spoke up, motioning for the others to settle their conversations, clearing his throat before motioning to the small girl._

"Shreya is my daughter that me and Hilda had a year after Karim was born. This is my wife, Hilda, the girl with the blue and green eye is my sister, Misaki," _Korey began, doing his best to keep a clear voice as he motioned to the next person._ "The Celestrian woman is Kyo, the guy in the green robe with red and orange hair is Ion, Ayako's the one with black and yellow hair, Simon Yorke is from the Midgard Library, Lola came from someplace within Armoroad, and Hibiki was a Forest Folk I encountered in High Lagaard."

_Korey had to let out a huge sigh after that. God, he hasn't given a long-winded introduction before, but boy, he's gonna have a hell of a time the least he expects it._

"And judging from the looks of things, it looks like a lot more of Korey's members are soon going to join the family~" _Ayako hummed, placing a hand on his hip._

_Frederica couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion._ "What does he mean by that?"

"He usually tends to act like a father towards anyone he meets. Questioning him is like asking a brick wall..." _Simon explained, sighing as he rubs his hand on his head._

_Korey couldn't help but chuckle. _"Now you know how I felt when I first talked to him. He's just that caring."

"Plus, you seem to have gotten a ton of guild members the last time we saw you." _Kyo chimed in, divulging the conversation._ "They've been on the Maginia, waiting to see you again."

_Oh boy..._

"Including everyone from your first guild!" _Misaki added, causing Korey to gulp to hide his worry. Who knew being the leader would've eventually lead to this?_

"T-That is quite a lot of people to manage, though!" _Korey stuttered, soon turning his attention to his approaching children._

"That is a lot, papa! But I know you can do it!"

"Yeah, me too!"

_Korey's worried stance started to lower upon hearing his children's encouragement. At least they know how to keep him up whenever things looked down or whatever caused him to be worried._

"Given your leadership skills, it seems like everybody we met who knew you had some great memories traveling with you." Hilda noted, her hands grazing up at his arm before wrapping her own arm around his. "It would please everyone, including us, if you came back..."

_Well now that's just a given._

"Of course I'd come back to you, Hilda. You, my family, and friends are what kept me going, and I don't intend on stopping anytime soon." _Korey assured, placing a kiss on her cheek and causing a giggle to come forth._

_Shirota couldn't help but inquire something that she had been wanting to ask._ "Then, is your mind made up about going on the Maginia?"

_Korey's eyes turned to look at the brown skinned dancer, with a smile on his face._ "Just because I'm finally reunited with my friends and family doesn't mean we can stop soon. Wherever this Maginia will take us, we'll have the adventure of our lives!"

_The sound of sniffling caught everyone's attention, as they turn to see Yukina trying to wipe away at some runaway tears that couldn't help but escape her grasp._ "Man, you grow up so fast, Korey..."

_Logre grinned as he placed a few comforting pats on her shoulder._ "To be honest, he's already grown up, seeing as he's got a family of his own."

"Still doesn't mean I'm wrong..." _Yukina uttered, wiping away another tear from her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. _

"I'm sure the Count will need to hear my decision on traveling to the Maginia." _Korey spoke up, causing Logre to_ _give him a glare that, although wasn't menacing, urged him to do something._

"Then just go already. You're the leader, you should know when to make the first move." _Logre insisted, giving him his casual happy-go-lucky grin._

"Logre right." _Ion concurred without hesitation._ "Korey should speak with Mr. Count person."

"What is this, everybody remind Korey day?" Korey groaned, rubbing his head in confusion.

"We'll make it seem that way until you get going." _Hilda teased, finally giving Korey the incentive to go._

"Okay, fine, we're going..." _Korey sighed, urging the group behind him to follow behind him. _"I'll start making supper, so don't stay there for too long!" _Korey heard Yukina call out to him. Despite knowing that she wasn't his actual mother, Korey couldn't really help but feel confused about the huge family he's getting himself into._

_He nodded in response, holding Hilda's hand as she walked beside him, finally able to do so after two painstaking years of waiting for this moment. Nobody'd blame them for having missed each other for that long._

"Come on, kids!" _Lola chirped to Karim and Shreya, who were a bit behind from the group. _"Coming!" _They replied, trying their best to catch up with their father and mother._

_..._

_After going through the same street he traveled through multiple times to report their mission to the man himself, the group arrived at the Outland Count's place. Some of Korey's old guildmates were quite surprised by the huge size of the place, but followed behind them nevertheless. Korey and Shirota soon tell everyone to wait beside the door and keep their noises down._

_Probably wanting to surprise the Count with the news he found on his own might not have been a great idea, but if he was gonna kill two theoretical birds with one stone, he was going with it, dammit. As Korey opened the door, he spotted Baldur conversing with the Count. The squeaking of the door caught their attention, as they spot Korey peeking through the door, along with Shirota._

"Oh- ummmmmmm," _Korey began, shifting his eyes to almost any direction he can look at._ "I-Is this a bad time to come in?"

_Though he probably might've been mad, the Count's smile held no malice towards their eavesdrop. _"Ah, Korey, Shirota. We weren't discussing private matters, but next time do knock." _The Count replied, rubbing Margarita's fur with his hand. _

"Y-Yes sir." _Korey sighed, urging Shirota to go through the door before he followed afterwards, slowly closing the door behind them, but keeping it open so slightly._ "I came here to discuss about the guildhouse with you, but I also bring a bit more regarding how many people I brought with me. I figured you and Baldur might want to meet them.

"New recruits, am I not mistaken?" _Baldur couldn't help but ask, wondering why he would announce new explorers at a time like this._

_Korey and Shirota looked at each other for a couple of seconds, before Korey shrugged his shoulders._ "It's easier to show than to tell." _Korey replied as he_ _turned and opened the doors, motioning for the others that were waiting outside to come into the room._

_Lola was instantly taken in by the room's decor._ "Woooow, this room is the most coolest one of all~"

_The Count had to reassure Margarita, as he glanced at the many faces that entered the room. _"Are you fellows friends with Korey?" _He asked Hilda who stood by her beloved's side._

"Everyone else here is." _She answered the Count's question._ "As for me and my children, we're more of a family to Korey, than friends."

_Baldur couldn't help but blink. After all, he's seen at least a few married couples back in the empire, including Shira and her husband. Seeing Hilda was quite a surprising change of pace..._

"So, you're... Korey's wife?" _Baldur inquired, wanting to get some assurance to make sure he wasn't going crazy._

_Hilda turned to face the Imperial Prince._ "Yes, I am. The name's Hilda, the last remaining Arken in existence. And these are our children, Karim, and Shreya."

"Pleased to meet ya!" _Karim waved at Baldur upon hearing his name, as Shreya followed suit._ "Yeah, pleased to meet you!"

Before Baldur could sink in the information he heard, he saw Margarita walk to the two children, sniffing them to determine whether or not they're a threat.

"D'aaaaww, it's a puppy!" _Karim cooed, doing his best not to frighten her. Eventually, Margarita's ears perked up, starting to feel at ease with the amount of people in the room._

_Shreya couldn't help grin from ear to ear._ "Soooo adorable! Is it alright if we play with her?"

_The Count gave the children an eager smile, seeing as the children would need to do something to rid themselves of boredom._ "Go right ahead, lads. We'll be discussing something in the meantime."

_With the go ahead from the count, the kids start petting and using the dog toys to play with Margarita. After assuring himself that everything will be fine, he turned to see the gray haired Medic._ "I assume you must be this Simon Yorke fellow Korey once mentioned to me."

"Indeed I am." _Simon nodded as he confirmed the Count's assumption, as the two shook each other's hands._

"It's a pleasure to meet with one of the Midgard Library members. Words of your efforts had often been the word of gossip when explorers from Etria came here." _The Count proclaimed, seeing Simon grin as they finish shaking each other's hands._

"I wouldn't be surprised. After solving the mystery of the Yggdrasil Tree, there wasn't much one can do in Etria, so me and a few others from the library went back. Korey and Ricky are the only ones who still travel together."

"That they do." _The Count concurred with Simon's explanation, before looking around the room and seeing the others had been waiting patiently. _"Now, may I ask who the others are?"

_Upon hearing his question, Hibiki made her move by bowing to him before raising herself up and looked at the Count with her scarlet eyes._ "I am Hibiki. It's a pleasure to meeteth thee." _Kyo, Lola, Ayako, and Misaki introduced themselves shortly afterward._

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I am Prince Baldur of the Yggdrasil Empire." _Baldur introduced himself, shaking Hilda's hand._

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Baldur." _Hilda hummed, as the Count glanced at Shirota._ "So, Shirota, introductions aside, why did you and Korey come here?"

"Ah, you see, Korey finally made up his mind to head to the Maginia, and we were wondering what we should do about the guild house." _Shirota explained, seeing the Count smirk a little, likely as if he predicted their reason for being here. _

"Well, Baldur and I have been discussing a bit about that particular thing, and we decided to come to a conclusion."

_Shocking that despite their hatred back in the Empire's domain, they eventually managed to grow past their previous debate. Korey turned to Baldur, waiting for an explanation from the Prince himself._

"The Count will be looking over after our guild house. Since Maginia will be a temporary home as we explore the new region, we'll need our home to be ready for when we arrive back."

_Shirota sighed in relief upon hearing Baldur's explanation._ "I see. We'll need a place to come back to eventually, so that's justifiable." _She hummed, clasping her hands together._

"Although with that being said..." _Korey, on the other hand, let out a rather questionable sigh as he turned to face the Count._

"After we do visit this place that the Maginia will take us too, I won't be the guild leader of the Refulgent Guild. I have a home to look forward to, back with my family and friends..." _Korey explained, his gaze soon looking away from the Count as he spoke._

_He felt someone clasp his hand in reassurance, turning his head to see Hilda attempting to calm him down through a smile of hers... Though it wasn't enough to fully cheer him up, he smiled back with whatever strength he could muster._

"Then, who might take up your role as the leader?" _Shirota couldn't help but question Korey. The very question made him perk up, as if he was expecting that question to be asked._

"Baldur will." _He disclosed, getting gasps from Shirota, the Count, and Baldur himself._ "For now, he's going to be traveling with us as a guild member on the Maginia."

_Baldur couldn't really believe what Korey was doing here. Here he was, seeing a Highlander, who led four guilds before their encounter, never giving up his position as guild leader on all of the times he told them he had led his guilds. This felt like it was all a dream, for Baldur never expected to truly find himself descending from ruling an empire to leading a guild._

"Y-You really trust me to be a leader? Even after what I wanted to do originally?" _Baldur couldn't help but question the Highlander's decision._

_But Korey was stubborn in his decision._

"I'm sure Logre would agree with me fully on this, Baldur. He would've made you the leader if he felt like it, but he believed that day will come eventually." _Korey explained, leaving the prince stunned and silent to ponder the information the Highlander left him with._

_The adults in the room fell silent as they let Baldur think to himself, hearing only the sounds of the dog toys being thrown and Karim and Shrey's cooing and adoring Margarita. The Count eventually cleared his throat, bringing all of them back to the point of discussion._

"Back to the subject, there's something I wish to discuss with you, Korey." _He began, shifting a couple of papers he had to the side, handing them to Korey._

"What's this about?" _Korey inquired, unable to fully grasp what was written on the papers._

"When the princess and her soldier assistant was here, I asked if he could secure a guild house for you, along with seeing if they can take your airship with you." _The Count began, taking a moment to sip the drink provided to him by a butler._

"And he allowed that airship of yours to be held. He should be able to get you a guild house by the time you make your guild there."

_Hilda and Shirota gasped in excitement upon hearing that news._ "We'll be able to have a guild house there?" _The dancer spoke up, trying her best not to freak out like she did the last time when they were given their guildhouse the last time._

_The Count's nod was all that she needed to know to confirm her question._ "Oh, thank you for doing this for us, Count!"

_Korey and the Count couldn't help but chuckle at her amusement._ "It's the least I can do for the guild who saved the land of Tharsis, after all. Why, even some adventurers who won't go to the Maginia will help protect the town while you're gone."

"That is forsooth reassuring." _Hibiki hummed, her hidden relief of the town being attacked was out of the question._

"Knowing that there are others to protect the town you care about in your place does ease one's worries." _Simon added, glancing over to Karim and Shreya, as a smile formed on his face._

"Anyways, if that's all you've come to discuss, then I will see you off tomorrow morning. You should head back and make preparations to leave." _Baldur tilted his head up as he heard the Count speak, nodding as if he was following an automatic protocol whenever meetings had ended back in the empire._

"Sounds good to me. We'll see you tomorrow, Count." _Kyo commented, urging the other members of Korey's guild to start to walk out of the room._

"Karim, Shreya! We're heading back to the guild house!" _Korey called out, seeing the children stop what they're doing and turning to face their father._

"Ooooh, do we have to?" _Karim sighed, wanting to play with Margarita some more._

_Hilda smirked, as if she's been through this before._

"I guess you must not be that hungry, then. No deserts when we get back to the Maginia~"

_Her jest worked wonders on the children, quickly dropping the toys they held._ "Okay, okay, we're coming!" _Shreya shouted, rushing over to grab her father's open hand, with Karim grabbing Hilda's hand. With the family together, they made their way out of the door._

_The Count knelt down and picked up Margarita, holding her in his arms as he waved goodbye at the leaving group of people._

"Have a good afternoon!" _He yelled to the group, who took a moment to stop and look back, shouting the same thing to him before leaving the building._

_Today was a day Korey would never forget. But who said it was over just like that? He still had to check up on the others, for god's sake!_

_For now, he wanted to just embrace his beloved the moment when they're free from dinner._


	3. Chapter 3 - The Night in Tharsis

"Honestly, does Korey love having to up and vanish on us all the time? It feels like an eternity just looking for him..." _Wufan sighed, doing her best to remain balanced on the table as scanned the area in front of her, hoping for a sign of the Highlander._

_Kibagami turned to face the Vessel upon hearing her worry._ "Oh relax, Wufan. I'm sure Korey has a reason to be so late."

"There must be. Everyone's all made their decision, and yet, he's the only one who hasn't made one." _Wufan noted, before her pointed ears twitched, as if perking up from a familiar noise._

_Kibagami tilted his head at first, before quickly gazing to where Wufan faced. __Boy, he was surprised to see quite a group Korey had with him. Apart from Shirota and Baldur, the others were unrecognizable. He raised his hand and waved it, as if signaling for the Highlander._

_Korey and his group soon reached the Sentinel and Vessel without issue, seeing the latter help the Vessel get down from the table._ "Sorry I'm late, I had some business to take care of with the Count regarding the Maginia." _Korey sighed, feeling a bit of needless worry from Wufan's glare._

_ Kibagami simply patted Korey's shoulder, as if he expected that apology._ "No need for the apology, lad. Though might I ask who the others behind you, Baldur, and Shirota?"

_Before Korey could muster a single word, Baldur stepped up to the Sentinel._ "We'll introduce them to the others at dinner." _He declared, not in a commanding way, but in a reassuring way._

"It'll save us time than just one-on-one introductions." _Baldur added, beating Wufan to the punch before she could ask her question. Wufan's surprised expression slowly changed to a small smile- one that wasn't easily recognizable except for those in the guild she found herself in._

_She gave Baldur a nod, followed shortly by Kibagami giving his word on the matter._ "Then, let's get some chairs for our guests. I'm sure they must be hungry." _Wufan insisted, turning to face the door as Korey, Baldur, and Kibagami started grabbing the chairs near the tables on the porch, slowly but surely making sure things were easy for them to carry them inside._

_Korey could hear the sounds of conversation a few rooms back. Seems like they made it back in time for dinner._

_Once he entered the guild house, he turned his head to motion for his group of memorable friends to follow shortly behind him. Kibagami and Baldur scoot some of the empty chairs closer to the others, before placing a new pair of seats where they originally were. Anai soon spotted Korey adding a chair he had been carrying for some time beside his chair._

"Uuuuuh, why are you placing more chairs here?" _Anai couldn't help but ask the trio, but found her question quickly falling on deaf ears as the Imperial Prince and the tall Sentinel sat across the table._

_Korey took a deep sigh, taking a bell off of the wall and shook it around, slowly catching the attention of his other guild members._ "Please take a seat, everyone. I have an announcement to make before we eat."

_As the people who were standing made their way to the table and took a seat, Korey hesitated between wanting to put it in his pocket, or place it back in its place. It always worked in case he ever had announcements to make, but he felt like he would miss it if it wasn't with him at all times._

_It was a gift from a guild member from Armoroad; made by someone with black and white hair. She would've insisted that he kept it with him at all times. __Undecided for the time being, he brought it with him to the table, placing it near his seat._

"Why the announcement, Mr. Korey? I want to eat noooow..." _Kurita sighed, getting some unneeded reassurance from Yukina, who patted her shoulder, causing the Runemaster to shift her attention for a few seconds._

_Yukina's smile was enough to get her message across, even if she didn't directly speak her words. _"First off, regarding my decision to come aboard the Maginia and to travel to where it will take us..." _Korey's voice soon caught Kurita's attention, as she and Yukina turned their heads to face the brown haired Highlander._

"I am going to the Maginia. Though this decision wasn't simply made on a whim..." _Korey continued as he made his voice loud and clear to the friends and guild members he had traveled with._

_Silvius tilted his head in confusion._ "If it wasn't through a whim, then how did you come to that conclusion?"

Korey grinned at Silvius' question, which made the white-skinned Vessel question him even more. "It was more so made out of a reunion I've had outside this very guild house. And I want to introduce them to all of you."

_He raised his right arm and made a motion with his fingers, as if beckoning someone to approach. Korey turned his head as he heard footsteps approach him, hearing his some of his guild members gasp at Hilda, while others sat there, astonished at her appearance._

_Karim and Shreya were next, easily catching most of the guild's attention, as they gave Korey a hug for the heck of it, before he took Karim up in his arms, leaving Hilda picking up Shreya. Anai just sat there, mouth agape with surprise. She was the first to connect the dots, but was still rather clueless about the names of the three people she saw before her._

_Misaki, Kyo, and Lola made themselves known to the others, as the green haired girl eagerly waved at the people sitting at the table, taking a seat close to Baldur. Kyo and Misaki sat next to Elma, who honestly didn't mind the extra company._

_As Korey placed Karim on the seat next to his, Hibiki, Simon, Ayako, and Ion entered shortly behind Kyo, taking seats in the remaining open spots. Hilda placed Shreya in the chair next to hers, as she sat on the chair Korey had placed for her._

"Everyone, these are previous guild members I have traveled with in the past. And this is my wife, Hilda." _Korey wasted no time with introductions as he sat down, relieved to have his legs get some more rest._

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." _Hilda hummed, giving her most humble smile to the others, who slowly smiled in return._

_Hilda made a motion for Ion to go, who quickly blinked on what to do, before calming himself within a couple of seconds._ "Ion is... Ion. Pleased to meet friends of Korey."

_The black and yellow haired Pugilist smiled once it was his turn to introduce himself. _"The name's Ayako; caring father to every guild member I come across!"

_Kurita couldn't help but blink several times. She was already confused by Ayako's sudden proclamation. _"B-But me and my sisters already have a dad..."

_Korey sighed, shaking the bell to get Kurita's attention quickly before the topic was swiftly changed._ "Listen, Ayako's just that caring, whether or not they had parents. It's for the best that you just go along with it." _Korey insisted, not wanting to dwell on the argument, before Lola eagerly hummed, as she gazed at everyone to her right._

"I'm Lola~ Pleased to meet you!" _Lola greeted, waving her hand again because she felt like it. It kind of just added to her cuteness factor._

_Hibiki spoke up next, followed by Misaki, Kyo, Karim, and Shreya, leaving Simon Yorke the last one to be introduced. _"And I'm Simon Yorke, resident of the Midgard Library." _Anai gasped as she turned her attention to the gray haired Medic._

"Wait, _the _Simon Yorke?" _Anai inquired, getting a confident nod from Simon himself. She let out a heavenly sigh as she sat back in her chair._

"Oooooh, I feel like I'm dreaming!" _Logre couldn't help but chuckle at Anai, fan-girling over another person she has heard of before. It was adorable just seeing her smile..._

_Though honestly, he couldn't help but smirk to himself when an idea came to his head._ "Want me to wake you up by pinching you?" _He commented, quickly snapping Anai out of her fan-girl mode._

"N-No, please don't!" _Anai begged, getting quite the response by Logre and Korey as she heard them chuckle. Heck, she also heard Simon chuckle a little, too! Talk about embarrassing..._

_Wufan broke the silence that occurred once everyone had introduced themselves to their guests._ "I must ask something real quick; Hilda, what kind of species are you, exactly? I've never seen someone as foreign as you before..."

_Hilda's eyes glanced down to the table, almost hesitant to speak up._ "I'm from... the Arken." _She finally spoke, after taking a couple of seconds to calm herself down. No need to get worked up over a simple question..._

"The Arken? Where they part of your group or something?" _Jayla asked, clueless as hell about the species Hilda belonged to._

_Hilda perked her head up to converse with Jayla._ "They were residents of our Yggdrasil tree in Arcania. I used to live in that Yggdrasil tree until I was banished." _She sighed, before placing her hand around Korey's, intertwining her fingers with his as she turned to face her beloved._

"If anything, I'm so glad to have such a wonderful man like Korey." _Hilda divulged from the question, feeling fine with how she answered Jayla's question._ "He's taught me so much, and he's just the best person I can ever be around. I love him so much..." _She hummed, nuzzling her head against Korey's head for a bit before he returned the favor by doing the same thing._

"D'aaaaawwwww..." _Kurita, Jacinda, and Anai couldn't help but coo at the sight before them. It was everyone's first look at seeing Korey be truly happy, without him gazing down at the ring on his hand just to reassure himself._

"That's just adorable..." _Shira beamed as she stared at the lovely couple before them all. Even when the nuzzling couple was being looked at by everyone in the table, nobody dared to interrupt the moment. _

"It sure is..." _Sakuma concurred with Shira._ "We haven't seen him smile that much ever since that kidnapping incident, so this is a nice change of pace." _She added, feeling relieved to see the Highlander smile without regret..._

"If we're done with the chatting, then let's eat already." _Silvius reminded everyone, feeling like if they went on any longer, the food will get cold. Korey and Hilda separated their heads and sat upright._

"Then dig in, everyone. This will be our final night in Tharsis, so be sure to pack up everything once you've had your full!" _Korey declared, getting several nods as they finally dug into the food._

_Seeing Kurita chow down on the food after having to sit through what felt like an hour of introductions put a smile on Jayla's face. Though it's been barely a month since the day she, Kurita, and Jacinda were reunited in the Hall of Darkness, she felt glad to be alive, hoping to be there for her little sisters for as long as she was still breathing._

_Baldur turned his head to the green haired girl sitting beside him, moving her head from side to side as she hummed and moving her legs back and forth. There wasn't really anything in front of her to eat or drink._

"Lola, aren't you going to eat?" _He asked, getting the girl's attention as she looked up to meet him face to face._ "I'm fine, Mr. Baldur." _She responded, giving him a reassuring smile._

"Besides,"_ Lola continued, placing her hand on her chest._ "Yggdroids can't do those things anyway."

_Baldur raised an eyebrow upon hearing Yggdroids. Though he quickly understood the connection real quick._ "Oh, so you're a robot? Who were you made by?" _Baldur inquired, getting a nod from the Yggdroid girl._

"We Yggdroids were created by King Seyfried of the Deep City." _Lola answered truthfully. She was positive she'll find the time to introduce Seyfried to Baldur when they find him._

"Interesting. And here I thought the technology we Imperials had was impressive enough. Perhaps he and I would be fast friends." _Baldur hummed, hoping to meet this Seyfried person Lola spoke of._

_Hiraku gulped down the food in his mouth as he turned to face Ion._ "Isn't Korey great leader? He so kind and friendly." _The red haired Sentinel asked, seeing Ion's beaming smile as the Celestrian looked at him._

"Indeed. Ion likes Korey because Korey saved Ion from an attack on our first encounter." _Ion spoke fondly of Korey, as the two of them got lost in conversing great things about Korey. Korey could tell that they were fast friends._

"You seem to have great trust in Korey. Although it took me some time to fully trust humans..." Wufan sighed as she conversed with Hibiki.

"Forsooth. It's only natural to has't complete faith in someone once thee ope up to those folk." _The Forest girl reassured, as she took a bite into the food._

_The familiarity of the situation felt wholesome to Korey, recalling the first dinner with his guildmates with an old guild he acquainted himself with... He had hoped to see Drayce and his guild once they board the Maginia._

...

_The guild house was filled with chatter, as everyone focused on preparing themselves for the upcoming journey._ "Have you gotten everything packed, Shirota?" _Shira asked, placing several items into a bag._

"Almost, mother. Just have to pack a few more things to pack." _Shirota responded without hesitation, her attention all but focused on the task set before her._

_In a way, it was like the day she first went to Tharsis with Anai beside her. They encountered Sakuma and Kurita along the way, and all of them were excited to explore the Yggdrasil. And now, this felt exactly like that very first day. It filled her with excitement and the joy of having another adventure._

"Pack this, pack that..." _Anai spoke aloud, packing books from the shelves in one huge bag._

_Eliza looked over to see Anai's urgent rush to take the most important of books from the shelves._ "Sis, do you really need that many books?" _The purple haired Landsknecht sighed as she walked towards her younger sister._

"Of course!" _Anai confirmed her sister's question, reaching to take another book from the shelf before her._ "It never hurts to have this many, in case we come across familiar items and materials at our upcoming destination."

_Although the amount was far too many, Eliza couldn't help but sigh, stopping her sister before she could place another book in the bag._ "I understand that, but our monster codex and our book of materials will be enough to bring with us. Unless you're planning to read _all of those books_ out of boredom..." _Eliza started to tease Anai, causing the latter to try and deny the obvious fact, leaving the older sister to laugh out loud._

_Elma looked at the black haired Imperial, who was making sure his bow and scythe were in top condition._ "Aren't you going to pack, Akhos?" _The white haired Nightseeker asked._

"I've already packed minutes before dinner." _Akhos replied as his eyes soon gazed at Elma as she approached him._ "Though I must say, traveling to whatever this new land sounds holds quite the promise, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it does. It'll be a new experience for all of us..." _Elma could only agree with the person she had worked with prior to being part of Korey's guild. I wonder where the Maginia will take us to._

_Baldur took one last look at the nightly air of Tharsis. Though he wasn't the most insistent person to call Tharsis a second home, the pain of leaving this place still weighed him down a bit. Logre was the first to notice that air around him, and went out to converse with him._

"What's wrong, your highness?" _The gray haired man inquired._ "It's just..." _Baldur sighed as he turned to face his loyal Imperial._

"I'll miss Tharsis in the time we'll be gone. Will it even be here when we come back?" _He uttered, feeling Logre's hand be placed on his shoulder._

"I can't speak for everyone," _Logre began, looking at the night stars that now light the sky._ "I have faith that any newcomers to Tharsis will keep this place safe for us. Tharsis will be alright."

_Logre's smile was as confident as always. He hasn't had a chance to smile for some time, but being able to see him be happy was something everyone in the Refulgent Guild wanted. Baldur soon turned to look at the sky, choosing to believe Logre's words on the matter._

"Come back here!" _Kurita yelled, chasing Shreya as she ran around the couch, giggling like an energetic child._ "You'll never catch the daughter of the Arken!" _Shreya confidently replied, continuing the wild goose chase._

_Jacinda was trying to catch Karim, though the white haired child had much more agility to his steps than the blond haired Medic._ "Stop running so I can catch you!" _Jacinda groaned, feeling like she was nearly out of energy._

"Never!" _Karim chuckled, running past Korey and Hilda as Jacinda struggled to follow Karim. Korey couldn't help but chuckle at how much his children are having fun with the others, slowly turning his head to face his beloved Hilda, who sat with him on the couch._

_The brown haired Highlander let out a sigh as he gazes into Hilda's eyes._ "I've missed being by your side, Hilda. I really want to make up for the days I haven't been beside you." _He insisted, placing a hand on her cheek, feeling her nuzzle up against it and letting out a hum._

"I appreciate the thought, honey," Hilda began. "But if that's how you feel, then I don't want to stay any further from you. Just that alone will more than make up for the times you've been gone." _She explained, which ended up getting a chuckle out of Korey._

_The two gazed at each other before leaning their heads together, letting their noses touch each other. He felt her calm and soothing aura once more, feeling like it's pulling him back into a calm and soothing place, almost akin to the Petal Bridge... Despite her extraterrestrial look, his heart knew that it was still the same Hilda that was with him ever since she was a part of his guild; a heart that has passed the trials of vengeance and into the tending care of a loving family._

_And he was proud to be back with her._

"Not that I hate to intervene with a reunited couple, but I suggest you two get to bed." _Simon's voice snapped Korey out of the trance-like state he was in, turning his head to face the Medic who stood behind the couch._ "Once the explorers come aboard Maginia, it'll be some time until we reach our destination. That goes the same for you kids as well."

_Karim, Shreya, Kurita, and Jacinda stopped what they were doing once Simon called them out. _"Awwww, do we have to? We were just getting to the good part!" _Karim questioned, a bit sad that their fun was getting interrupted._

"There's always tomorrow, you two. You can have fun with the others when we get on the Maginia." _Hilda assured them, who gave out an 'okaaaay' as Kurita and Jacinda went to prepare to pack their belongings._

_Simon wasn't quite done with his business, so he proceeded to ask a question for the Highlander._ "Is there any vacant rooms that we can borrow for the night? I don't want to risk potentially losing the kids in the dark where monsters could get them."

_Korey nodded at Simon's question._ "I believe there should be enough to house all of you." _He replied as Simon made his way around the couch._ "Just make sure Karim and Shreya are on the second floor; I'd like to have their room next to mine in case they can't sleep or something." _Korey added, as the gray haired Medic nodded in return. It never hurts to have the children be near their parents, after all._

_Korey and Hilda's children walked up to them, and gave them a hug and kiss their cheeks. _"Night papa. Night mama." _They said, almost in sync with their goodnight messages._

"Goodnight, you two. Love you." _Korey chirped, moving his hand through Karim's hair as he let out a chuckle._

"Love you too, papa." _Karim and Shreya replied simultaneously, before they followed Simon up the stairs. Korey stretches his arms as he let out a yawn of his own, before quickly picking Hilda up from the couch, surprising her as her cheeks gained a hint of dark blue._

"O-Oh... We're doing this now, aren't we?" _Hilda exclaimed, blushing at the sudden surprise pick up.  
_

_Korey let out a sigh as his eyes focused on her cyan eyes. _"Come on, I haven't held you in my arms ever since I went missing. Just let me have this moment." _He argued, hearing Hilda giggle a bit as she placed her arms around him._

"I'm just giving you a hard time, dear..." _She explained, at least able to give Korey a sigh of relief, before treading carefully up the stairs and past an open room, briefly catching a glance of Simon tucking Karim and Shreya into bed. He placed Hilda down as they reached the door, letting the white and blue haired wife enter the room, closing the door behind him._

"Nice room, Korey... Almost reminds me of our room back at in Iorys." _Hilda praised, looking around the room. Hell, one could say it was almost an exact replica._

_She slowly turned to face Korey, who had sat down on the bed. Not wasting a moment, she sat down next to him and placed her hand on his cheek, slowly bringing him in for a kiss as their lips collided. Korey followed suit, not wanting to rush the moment between them. It had been at least two years since they last kissed, there was no need to rush back into things._

_Korey brought his arms around her, keeping her close to him. He allowed her tongue to dance with his, as if two lovers were slowly going practicing a dance after many years of being unable to recite it well. Hilda wanted to assure him through time and patience, and she was alright with that._

_They kept it up for quite a while, relishing in the other's touch as they made out on the bed. Eventually, they separated from the kiss, gazing into each others' eyes as they brought their heads close to each other, letting their noses touch once more._

"I love you, Hilda." _Korey sighed heavenly, as his hands slowly made their way to Hilda's hands, feeling the smoothness of her velvet arms as their fingers intertwined once more. _"I love you too, Korey." _She replied, with the same caring and mother-like tone in her voice._

_They laid on the bed, making themselves comfortable as Korey places the sheets over them, bringing an arm around her as he stared at her. _"I can't wait to explore with you and the others once more." _Korey yawned, trying his best to stay awake, but clearly failing before his beloved's eyes._

"Me too, honey..." _Hilda concurred, giggling a little bit upon seeing him yawn. Having been away from him for so long, it was more than a welcome change of pace from the past two years._

_She didn't want to let him go again. Ever since those two years, she was worried that she would never see him again, worried that he might have died and have lost someone who cared for her that much. That was something she was never going to let happen ever again..._

"Goodnight, my love." _Korey sighed, closing his eyes and giving Hilda a comforting smile. She smiled in return, and closed her eyes and shifted her body closer to her beloved husband._

"Goodnight, Korey." _Hilda replied, wrapping an arm around Korey and rested her head near his. She was glad to be back with him, and she wasn't going to let anything separate him from her this time around._


End file.
